This document highlights the fact that the new focus on results in the context of the MDGs demands more than qualitative studies alone can give, and that qualitative methods cannot answer the question, this documents aims to respond: To what extent are interventions by agencies bringing about progress on MDG-related indicators? The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Working Paper 242, by Howard White. March 2005. (PDF, 26 pages)

This paper presents a methodology for evaluation of Danida assistance to capacity development in sector programme support. The methodology integrates two approaches based on the following questions: how to evaluate capacity development and how to understand capacity development itself. By Nils Boesen and Ole Therkildsen, Danish Institute for International Studies (Danida), October, 2003. (PDF, 31 pages)

The purpose of this report is to present an analytical framework for the evaluation of the impact of (Danish) capacity development support to public sector organisations in the context of sector programme support. Specifically, it outlines a systematic and operational framework for relevant questions to be asked and investigative avenues to be pursued by designers of capacity development and by evaluators of capacity development impact. By Nils Boesen, et. al. Danida, September, 2002. (PDF, 49 p more...

The author discusses emerging areas of consensus among donors about their role and behavior in ensuring that capacity development efforts are fully owned by recipient countries, and that donor support is aligned with country-led strategies and actually serves to develop local capacity by building on existing capacities. By Richard Manning. Development Outreach, September 2005.

This issue (September 2005) of Development OUTREACH focuses on the critical importance of capacity development and to the efficient and effective use of donor assistance. For years, if not decades, capacity development has been a main concern in the development community, and yet there is still little agreement about exactly what it means, and perhaps even less agreement on how to do it. The guest editors of this special report address these questions, not in theory, but in the context of substa more...

This report was produced by the World Bank's independent Operations Evaluation Department (OED), it uses recent OED evaluations to assess the development effectiveness of the World Bank and how it could be improved. It covers three questions: 1. What is the measurable progress in improved living conditions in the developing world over the last 10-15 years, and how does it compare with the previous decade? 2. How effective has the World Bank been in helping countries improve their living conditio more...

Food aid has declined in absolute value and relative importance from over 20% of total bilateral official development assistance (ODA) in the mid 1960s to below 5% since the mid 1990s. Meanwhile, the share of food aid for humanitarian relief and crisis-related emergency assistance has increased at the expense both of development programme and project aid. These trends are manifest in
the food aid programmes of both the major food aid donors, the USA (over 50% of total bilateral food aid) and th more...

The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD set up a
special task force to look at how aid can be delivered more effectively through simplifying and
harmonising donor procedures.
The main purpose of the DAC Task Force on Donor Practices, established for a two-year period,
was to elaborate a set of good practice papers on how donors can enhance their operational
procedures with a view to strengthening partner country ownership. In pursuing this goal it also
sought to improve the more...

Following the first volume of good practices published in 2003, this second volume focuses more specifically on good practice in providing budget support (Chapter 2) and support to sector-wide approaches (Chapter 3). In doing so, it acknowledges the special relevance of public financial management issues for both of these modalities of aid delivery. This is why the last chapter of this volume (Chapter 4) is devoted to setting out good practice in providing support to capacity development for pub more...

This Index, published by the Center for Global Development, is used to rate 21 donor nations on the “development-friendliness” of their policies. It is revised and updated annually. In the 2005 edition, the component on foreign assistance combines quantitative and qualitative measures of official aid, and of fiscal policies that support private charitable giving. It is described in a separate publication (http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/3646). The quantitative measure of don more...